Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Look on the Bright Side...

Way too much negativity coming from these posts and thinking about D.C. United's finale, I would be remiss if I did not make two positive observations:

Jaime Moreno's goal was fully deserved. His dummies in the box confused the Toronto FC defender, baiting him into the handball, and earning the call that led to a converted penalty kick. But Jaime's goal was only possible because of Troy Perkins' release of the ball quickly up field to a spot where only Moreno could track it down. Perkins has gone through an awful year and has failed to meet the very high expectations that he walked into. But on that sequence, Perkins showed what he is capable of contributing should United add a meaningful attacking threat to its lineup.

Separately, Jordan Graye is a useful player. Graye put in two crosses from the left side in the second half that were superb. I do not understand why Graye saw so much bench this year, but those two crosses were the best placed of the game for D.C. United. Given how poorly balls are sent into the box on a general basis, this isn't actually saying very much, but Graye's crosses have gotten better and better as the season wound down. I may rate him too highly because of his unassuming style on the field and because his mistakes can likely be easily fixed with more experience, but he was an important component part of the team this year and I look forward to seeing what he can do with a year of MLS experience behind him.